Lucas (Cold Fury Hockey 8)

"There's plenty of time to talk about that," I assure her. "Just wanted you to meet some of my family since they'll be going through this with me."

Stephanie's gaze comes back up to mine and this time there's a sparkle of mischief. "You don't plan on having them in the delivery room, do you?"

I bark out a laugh as I toss my head back. When I look at her again, I'm shaking my head. "Trust me...I'm the only one in this family who will be looking at your--"

My words abruptly cut off as I realize the dual mistake I made. Bringing up sex and implying that I was going to get it again from her. Once again, my foot gets shoved into my mouth.

A sheepish smile takes my mouth hostage. Stephanie cocks an eyebrow at me, but the smirk on her face tells me she's amused.

"I'm sorry," I say hastily. "I don't know why I keep talking about sex with you. I mean...not that I don't like sex, because I do. Actually, I love it."

Stephanie tilts her head to the side and says, "And why is it that we shouldn't talk about the sex we had? I mean, it was phenomenal."

"Yes, it was," I agree with her.

Best. Sex. Ever.

"Look," she says as she lays a hand on my forearm. "This is new territory for both of us. I get that it's awkward, but we need to move past that. Otherwise we're going to be in for a miserable time over the next several months."

"I agree," I say readily.

"We should have sex again," she says at the same time.

"What?" I exclaim even as my groin tightens at the thought. I'd be lying if I didn't admit to fantasizing about that night a time or twenty. But I wasn't prepared for the possibility that that could happen again, because it just seemed selfish to say, "Hey...sorry I knocked you up, but I'd really like to fuck you again."

"Well, why not?" Stephanie says simply as her hand falls away. "You and I are both healthy adults, I certainly can't get any more pregnant, and we clearly had amazing chemistry. I'm single. You're single--or at least I assume you are--and we both enjoy sex."

Well, fuck...when you say it like that, why the hell aren't we having sex right this very minute?

Instead I try to throw some logic out, but I really hope she shoots it down. "It could complicate things."

"Not if we agree it would be casual," she says, and I like the way this woman thinks.

There are a million reasons why this would be a bad idea. I know nothing about Stephanie, and yet I have no choice but to try to forge an alliance with her so we can successfully parent our child. Sex would complicate everything, because sex is about emotion, it's about feeling and opening up. Much of that may be physical, but physical can lead to the nonphysical. How much are we going to both be at risk for confused or hurt feelings when that happens and then doesn't work out? Because Stephanie doesn't seem like a relationship type of girl, and I definitely don't want to be in a committed relationship. I like being single way too much.

"But if you don't think that's possible," she says quickly, "I'm cool with that as well."

"Now wait a minute," I say as a hold my palms up to her and ignore logic and reason. "Let's not be that hasty. This could have some merit."

Stephanie's eyes start to sparkle again as she grins at me. "You know, I've been researching pregnancy, and apparently my hormones are going to be a little wacky. I've heard a very unfortunate side effect is that I will be extremely horny."

I bust out with a forceful, elated laugh that she can bring humor to the situation. It definitely helps to put me more at ease, and also makes my dick harder because she's taking away every reason I could have to keep her at arm's length.

Stepping in close to her, I peer down so I can confirm the truth in her eyes. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"I don't see any downside," she says breathlessly, although we both know that's just not true. But if she thinks we can have a casual relationship based on sex and it won't interfere with the new relationship we're trying to establish, then I think I need to take advantage of that.

Even though I know this could be a colossal mistake, I dip my face down to hers until our mouths are almost touching. "Did I happen to mention that my house is less than five miles from here?"

Stephanie practically purrs at the suggestion, and now I'm fully hard. "Then let's go."

Chapter 4

Stephanie

I wonder if Luc thinks I'm a complete skank because I'm into sex with him. Perhaps I shouldn't have come on so strong, but it's hard to regret doing so when what we're about to do is going to be amazing. The way I grew up ensured I'd be rebellious at some point, and rebellion at a young age often included sex when you weren't supposed to be having it. I learned early that it not only feels good but it can give you things you can't get elsewhere. It can give you emotional connection without having to sacrifice yourself for it--a brief, glorious connection when both of you are united in passion.

For someone who craved to just be noticed for so long and never got it, sex filled a big void for me. And the best thing about casual sex was that I could walk away if I wanted, because I found that I really wasn't prepared for something more than a brief fling Anything else was too overwhelming. So casual was the name of the game for me, and if feelings grew on the other side, and he wanted something deeper outside of the bedroom, well...that wasn't something I could quite let myself open up to.

I wonder if I should explain this to Luc, but then I chastise myself for even wondering. It's none of his business why I am the way I am, and I refuse to care if he looks down on me because I enjoy casual sex. He's the one who invited me into his home tonight.

And it's nothing like I imagined a professional hockey player would live in.

It's actually

quite small, although it's very pretty. Illuminated by well-placed exterior lighting, the house has dark gray siding with white trim and black shutters. It sits on a small hill that takes up the corner of a block of similar-looking homes. The landscaping I can see in the glow of the lights looks professionally done, as the grass is pristine and there are a variety of bushes and plants that you can tell were all carefully placed so that it looks artful.

I'd followed Luc here in my car and parked behind him on the street. When I get out of my car, he's waiting for me with a hungry expression as he takes my hand. We walk up the sloped driveway that intersects with a concrete path that leads to the porch and I tell him, "Your house is lovely."

"It's cute, but it's not mine," he says as he trots up the porch steps and opens a screen door. "I decided to rent for six months when I moved here so I could get a better lay of the land before I decided to buy. One of my teammates, Van Turner, is rooming with me. He's also new to the team."

Luc opens the front door and then steps back, motioning me in before him. The house is older and the living room is tiny. It's totally a bachelor pad, though, as there's nothing but a couch and a large-screen TV with various components on the opposite wall. The kitchen attaches, separated by a small island with a window that looks out over the backyard. To my right is a short hall with what looks like a room on either side and perhaps a bathroom.

My breath hitches when Luc comes to stand behind me, slipping my purse off my shoulder and lowering it to the floor. My nipples tighten when he pulls my hair away from my neck and gives me a feathery kiss there.

"I'm not even sure what to do with you," he murmurs as he brings his other hand to my breast. He cups it gently and squeezes, and holy hell that feels good.

Stepping back, I press my ass into him, letting my head fall to rest below his shoulder, which pushes my breast into his hand. "If you can't come up with anything unique right now, I'm cool with a repeat of our first time."

Luc gives a low, rumbling laugh that reverberates through me, and I can't help the smile that comes to my face. Perhaps for my temerity or perhaps he's just testing, but he pinches my nipple through the layers of my sweater and bra, and he's not nice about it. I buck and moan at the same time, the pain from that pinch shooting straight down between my legs where that familiar and much-wanted heat and wetness start to bloom.